Titan Legends Volume Two: The Demon Within
by Link the Teen Titan
Summary: Link has returned after three years, and is now a Teen Titan. As he adjusts to life at Titans Tower, he and Starfire become very close. Unfortunately, Link finds out that she's already taken, which breaks his heart, and unleashes a much more... sinister side of the hero...
1. Chapter 1: Link and the Titans

**Chapter One: Link and the Titans**

It had been three days since I had returned to Jump City after my three year journey to reassemble the spirit key. It was around mid-afternoon and my friends, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, and I had just succeeded in stopping a criminal from robbing the local bank.  
He had a weird suit that looked like it had a light-bulb on the front, and with it he was able to use this strange light for attacks. He called himself 'Dr. Light', though I'm not entirely sure how he thinks himself to be a doctor. Also, he really shouldn't have been using light to commit crimes. I should know; I've met with the light spirits. During the battle he didn't seem all too intimidated by us, until he went up against me though. I guess he was caught by surprise because I'm 'new' to the team. During the time I was gone my friends had begun calling their team the 'Teen Titans', and I was one too… I think. Oh, let me reintroduce myself; my name is Link.

After we all watched Dr. Light get hauled off to jail, everyone congratulated each other for their part in the fight. Particularly, I received a lot of praise, even though I really didn't do much. I guess it was because I was new.

"How did you learn to fight like that?" Robin asked me.

"Well, I had battled some monsters during my travels. I really just learned what I know from those fights." I answered.

Cyborg gave me a pat on the back that almost knocked me down, commenting on how I did in the fight. He also happened to use the phrase 'booyah' again.

"I thought you were only going to say that once." I asked him while laughing slightly.

"Did I say that?" he asked. "Well… I lied okay!"

We all started laughing after that; well, all of us except Raven. She never really seemed to show much emotion at all. I wonder why?

"Count yourself lucky, Link. You only managed to win that battle because Dr. Light had no idea who you were or what you could do." Raven told me.

She was right. In fact, it was the same thing in the two other fights we were in before in the last two days. In both fights, I had only managed to prevail because my opponents weren't prepared for me.

"Raven's right. You did okay in this fight, and during training, but don't expect to be so lucky next time." Robin told me.

I already knew that. Even so I felt a little upset hearing it, thinking that they didn't think I had any skill. Starfire could tell I was feeling bad from that comment, so she tried cheering me up.

"Do not worry Link. Even when you run out of the luck, I'm sure you will do okay. As long as you keep practicing you'll be fine." She told me.  
Hearing that almost instantly got me back in a good mood.

"So, who's up for pizza?" Cyborg asked.  
Everyone else agreed, although I was a bit confused.

"That sounds great! But I just have one question." I told him.

"What?" Cyborg responded.

"What is pizza?" I asked.

When they heard me asked that, they were all very surprised and asked me if I was joking. But I wasn't joking, I had really never heard of anything called 'pizza'.

"Dude, you don't know what you've been missing. C'mon lets go." Beast Boy said.

A little later, we all arrived at the place they had all been talking about. Once there, I saw what this 'pizza' was. It was circular, and cut into triangles. It looked really weird too. It smelled good though, and everyone was urging me to try it.  
Well it couldn't have been any worse than eating bugs on my journey, so I tried it. Turns out it was WAY better than bugs. I was enjoying my time there, but something bothered me a little. Everyone at the table was giving me a strange look.

"Umm… is something wrong?" I asked.

"There's just… something weird about you." Robin told me.

"Yeah, it kinda feels like we shouldn't be anywhere near you." Beast Boy told me.

When I heard this I felt bad again. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Ever since I was little, people have gotten this unwelcome feeling from being around me. As such, almost everyone avoided me. I wasn't sure why, as I'm usually a nice person. After seeing the sad look on my face though, Raven forcefully elbowed Beast Boy's arm.

"Don't worry about it Link. People get the same kind of feeling from me." Raven told me.

"We try not to notice though." Starfire told me. "You are still our friend."

I smiled. I almost thought that they wouldn't want me around anymore. I was glad that I was wrong about that.

Later, back at Titans Tower, I was spending decided to walk around the tower. I didn't really have anything else to do, and it was better than just sitting on the couch all day (I didn't have my own room yet). As I walked through the hall I noticed that a door to one of the rooms was open. Inside it looked kind of dark, with weird designs and statues. The sign on the front of the door read 'Raven'. This must've been her room.  
My curiosity got the better of me and I went inside. It certainly was different from any other room in the tower; a lot different. I examined a bookshelf that was in the room that was packed with books of all kinds. I guess Raven liked to read a lot. A second later, I heard someone behind me, and unfortunately, it was Raven.

"What are you doing in my room?" Raven asked me.

She startled me with her sudden appearance, so much so that I almost crashed into the bookshelf.

"I'm sorry. Your door was open and I… couldn't resist looking around." I answered.

"Well, ordinarily I would just boot you out. But since you're here there is something I want to show you." she told me.

She then walked up to the bookshelf that I was just examining, and pulled out several books. She then pulled out a book from the back row, a really old looking book. It was a faded green color and had three triangles stacked together on the cover. The title however was written in a foreign language.

"I've been holding onto this book for a while. I was planning to give it to you if you ever came back." Raven said.

She then handed me the book, but I asked her why she was giving it to me. To answer my question, she opened the book to the first few pages, and on one of those pages was a very faded picture of what looked like a person holding a sword and shield. But what really surprised me was the fact that this person seemed to be wearing an outfit that was almost exactly like mine; not only that but he also had pointed ears like mine!

"I haven't been able to translate anything in this book, but when I saw this picture, I immediately thought of you." She told me. "Maybe you'll have more luck with it than I did."

For all I knew, this book might actually help me figure out who I really was. I thanked Raven, and then politely left her room.

Later that night, I wasn't able to sleep, so I decided to go up to the roof of the tower and just gaze up at the stars; just like I did back in my hometown, Lanayru Village. The view of the city from the roof was incredible. I was able to see all the way to the mountains on the other side. Even so, what I really wanted to see was the night sky. I sat down near the edge of the roof and just looked up. I was so focused on the stars that I had failed to notice Starfire had come outside.

"Did our couch have… the lumps?" she asked me.

She had surprised me a little, but that was okay. I was glad that she was here.

"No, the couch was fine. I just couldn't sleep, so I came out here." I answered.

She was curious as to why I had come out here. I explained to her that back in my hometown I would often sneak out at night and gaze at the night sky at my… special place.

"I can't really explain why, but looking at the stars just makes me feel… happy." I told her.

Starfire then sat down next to me and looked up at the sky like I was doing. I remembered that she had come from space herself; from the planet Tamaran. I think that's what she called it.

"The sky does look nice tonight." She told me.

It was at that moment that a small breeze blew across us, and I had not noticed that it had blown something out of my pocket. Starfire did though, and went to retrieve it before it rolled too far way.

"Link, this rolled out of your pocket." She said as she returned it to me.

The item that had escaped my pocket was a small round gemstone that had two lights, a blue light and a green light, swirling around inside it. It was my spirit gem, a gem that had formed on the day that I met Starfire.

"My spirit gem! It could've rolled off the tower! Thank you Starfire." I said.

"Spirit gem?" she asked me.

I told her everything that I knew about it; mainly that it mysteriously formed on the day we met when I 'accidentally' caught one of her starbolts. She found that to be very strange, and I agreed with her. I wasn't sure myself what it was for, but I did tell her that whenever I held it I would always think of her.

"Your adventure across the Earth must have been hard for you." she said.

"It was. But the worst of it wasn't during any fights or crossing dangerous terrain. It was because I was all alone during the entire journey." I told her. "Throughout all of it, all I wanted was for it to be over, so I could come back here. So I didn't have to be alone anymore…"

When she heard that, she came a little closer to me. I could tell that she felt bad for me, because a split second later, she hugged me. It wasn't the same bone-crushing hug she gave me when I returned from my journey; it was more like the hug that she gave me before I left on my journey. It was gentle.

"You do not have to be alone anymore, Link." She said while hugging me. "You are among friends. And I will always be here for you."

I don't think she noticed, but a tear fell from my eye after she said that. Never in my life had anyone shown me this much kindness. No one had ever cared about me like she did. The hug lasted a few more seconds, and then we both decided it was getting a bit too cold, so we headed back inside. However, neither of us knew that while we were out there on the roof…. Someone was watching us.

As it would turn out, Ghirahim, the pale man in a white leotard and red cape that had followed me during my three year journey, had been watching us. I wasn't there for this part, but after spying on us, Ghirahim teleported himself to an undisclosed and dark location. There was another person there too.

"Master, I have news to report. It would seem that Link is re-integrating with his friends without much trouble." Ghirahim told whoever was there. "And it would also seem that he is quite fond of the alien girl… perhaps a bit too fond of her."

The other person stepped forward, revealing himself to be wearing black armor and wearing a brown and black mask. As it would turn out, this masked man was the same villain that had murdered my old mentor, Roland Nobleman, three years ago.

"Interesting. From my past encounters with the Titans, I know that this is information that I can use against him." The masked man said, softly laughing evilly afterwards.


	2. Chapter 2: A Second Stroke of Death

**Chapter Two: A Second Stroke of Death**

It was early in the morning when a loud alarm sounded through Titans Tower. I knew what it meant; it meant that there was trouble going on in the city right now. A few seconds later, we all gathered at the tower entrance prepared for whoever we were going up against. Robin told us that there was a break-in at a tech company downtown. However it was not clear who had broken in, as he said that the report only mentioned an intruder.

Everyone had their own methods of getting to the crime scene. Cyborg had his car, which he called the T-car; Robin had his motorized bike called the R-cycle; and the others could just fly there. I didn't have any way to get there other than walking. Fortunately though, Starfire had noticed this and offered to give me a lift to our destination.

Once we were all at the tech company, I immediately noticed a giant hole blasted into the side of the building. It kind of reminded me of what happened back in my hometown three years ago; when my mentor, Nobleman, and I were attacked by a mysterious masked man. But whoever did this couldn't be the same man…. could it?

The inside of the tech company was like a maze, consisting of many different halls that led to different rooms. Whoever we were after was somewhere in the building so Robin ordered each of us to split up and search the building. We each proceeded down one of the many halls; I took the one to the north. When I reached the end of the hall I came upon a large room full of strange machinery that I had never seen before. I paused for a moment to look around, but all of a sudden all of the doors in the room slammed shut. When I went to investigate I heard a voice behind me; a very familiar and very ominous voice.

"It certainly has been a while. Hasn't it, Link?" he asked.

I turned around, hoping that it wasn't who I thought it was. Unfortunately, it was; it was the same masked man in black armor that had attacked me and killed Nobleman three years ago. The mere sight of this man was making me tremble slightly. I'm not going to lie; I was scared. I wasn't going to let him know that though.

"You!" I exclaimed. "Wh-wh-what are _you_ doing here?!"

"My base of operations happens to be in this city." He told me. "I take it your new friends have not told you yet?"

So my friends have encountered this man too?! I didn't have time to wonder about this, now was the time for action. I drew my sword and braced my shield, ready for battle.

"I'm not going to let this end like it did three years ago." I warned him.

"Hmm… yes, I heard that your skills have improved during your quest across the world. I'm interested to see whether or not this is true." The masked man responded.

Wait a minute. How did he know about my journey around the world? Now was not the time to wonder, for he had just pulled out a sword of his own; the exact same sword he had used to kill Nobleman, still stained red with what I assumed was the blood from its last kill.  
I didn't waste any time. I charged at him with rage in my eyes, eager to make him pay for killing Nobleman. However my attack wasn't quick enough and the masked man dodged my first strike. I attempted several similar attacks, but he just kept evading them. I don't think I had any other choice; I had to use my Spirit Mode, a special power that was granted to me by the light spirits when I was an infant. I knew what would happen if I used it for too long, but I couldn't think of any other way to keep up with him.

My eyes lit up with a blue glow, as did my sword. This had not gone unnoticed by my opponent. In fact, it was the same tactic I used against him the last time. This time however, I had better control over it.

"I see that you've activated your unique power. I remember that from our previous encounter." The masked man said. "I believe you call it 'Spirit Mode', correct?"

I didn't have any idea how he knew about that, but I didn't waste time trying to find out. I came at him again, and this time my attacks were able to hit him. However, they did not hit him directly, for he kept blocking my hits with his sword. Fortunately it was the same when he was attacking me, for I was able to block his attacks too, using my shield. When I had the chance, I thrust my shield forward to counter his attack, which caused him to skid backwards several feet. I went out of spirit mode for now, to keep the side effect from happening. The masked man recovered from the blow and stood up.

"It seems you've learned to fight more conservatively. However, you'll find that the methods of battle have changed since we last met." He told me.

What did he mean by that? I quickly found out as I heard a beeping sound coming from my shield. I looked and saw a small mechanical device attached to my shield; obviously placed there by my opponent when I wasn't looking. The device happened to be a bomb, because a split second later it detonated and blasted me back into one of the machines in the room. I got back up, but before I could recover from the blow the masked man came at me and grabbed me by the neck. Then he slammed me against the wall, while still strangling me; just like what happened three years ago.

"Your spiritually enhanced fighting abilities are impressive, but do not guarantee you victory." He said. "And as I'm sure you're aware, it also has that unfavorable side effect."

While he was still strangling me, I tried as hard as I could to reach my communicator to signal for help, but I couldn't reach it. I had noticed however that while I wasn't able to escape his grip, it wasn't tight enough to break my neck. It's as if he was holding back.

"Your abilities certainly have improved from your journey across the word, but you still have much to learn. About fighting… and about yourself." He told me.

"How… do you know all of that?" I asked him weakly.

Before my question was answered though, I heard a loud crash come from one of the doors. Apparently my friends had come and busted the door open, just in time. The masked man had apparently heard this too, and released his grip on my neck. Before he left, he assured me that we would meet again, and then threw down a smokescreen and disappeared.

My neck was still aching from my opponent strangling me. Starfire noticed this when she saw me clutching my neck. While the others were investigating the previous smokescreen and all the damage caused by my battle, Starfire flew up to me and asked me if I was alright. I assured her that I was okay, and then told everybody what had happened here; about my fight with that masked man. They apparently knew exactly who I was talking about.

"So you encountered Slade?" Robin asked me.

"Slade? So you _do_ know who he is?!" I desperately asked.

"He's one of our greatest foes." Robin told me. "Wait. You _know_ him?!"

I nodded to answer his question. Robin wanted to know more about that, but the others suggested that we head back to the tower first so I could rest a little, as I was pretty banged up from the battle. As it would turn out, nothing had been stolen; Slade must have run off before he could take anything. I guess my battle against him did some form of good.

Back at the tower's op room, I told everyone about my encounter with Slade back in my hometown three years ago. I told them about how he killed my mentor, Roland Nobleman, right in front of me, and about how I may have been killed too if it hadn't been for Lanayru's intervention. They were all a bit shocked, especially since this all happened before I met them. Robin also informed me that Slade probably wasn't trying to kill me, but may have been testing me. He told me that Slade had been known to try and force or trick people into being his apprentice, and that he may be targeting me now.

Could that have been his intention from the start? Regardless, now I had to be even more careful around him. For now though, everyone suggested that I just relax. I needed to recover from the fight. After a moment, everyone left the room… well, everyone except Starfire.

"Link? I know you need to rest, but… is it alright if I stay here with you for now?" She asked me.

"Of course it's okay. I'd much rather be here with a friend than all by myself." I answered.

She smiled and then sat down beside me. When I saw her smile my face turned red (which I had learned was known as 'blushing') and I turned my head away slightly.

"You are not hurt too badly, are you?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." I told her. "I'm a little more concerned about what might happen next time. That man, Slade, somehow knew about journey around the world."

"But how?" She asked.

"I don't know?" I answered. "But right now, I'm just happy that I'm still here."

"I too am glad that you are here. I… really did miss you while you were away… and for some time I had feared that… you would never come back…" She told me. "… I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I was the one who wasn't able to contact anyone. I'm just grateful that you still… like me. To be honest, I'm glad… that you came into my life." I said.

This time she blushed, but instead of turning her head away slightly like I had done, she kept looking into my eyes, and I kept looking into hers.

"I am also glad to have you as a friend." She said.

Now it seemed like she was slowly coming closer. Our eyes were only about five inches away from each other when all of a sudden she looked as if she had suddenly remembered something and quickly backed away.

"Uhh… sorry about that Link." She told me.

"What just happened?" I asked her.

"Oh, nothing… it's just… you really should get some rest now. I'll see you a little later." She told me before she left the room.

She was right. I needed to get my strength back for whenever our next mission was. But I couldn't help but wonder; when she was inching closer to me before, what was she trying to do? Also, why did I always feel weird when I look in her eyes? It was a good feeling though, like my entire body was enveloped in a warm veil, or something. I guess it wasn't anything bad though, and I would probably find out why eventually. So for now, I just lay down on the couch and relaxed, just being grateful that I was surrounded by good friends like her.


	3. Chapter 3: Shadows of the Past

**Chapter Three: Shadows of the Past**

It was late in the afternoon when we all discovered that Cinderblock, a villain with a body made of stone, was rampaging downtown for some unknown reason. Of course none of us were going to let him get away with it, so we all arrived on the scene as quick as we could. The rocky behemoth was smashing apart buildings and any solid objects that he got his hands on. Once Robin gave the order, we all attacked, attempting to subdue the villain.

I had dealt with Cinderblock before; he was incredibly strong and durable, but not the brightest of foes. I knew if I could confuse him somehow, we could all bring him down. My tactic was to shield bash his attack when he least expected it and then try attacking from either behind or above, whichever I could manage. That's how we took him down last time, and his body couldn't be cut so I didn't have to worry about using my sword. However, as I attempted the same strategy and was in the middle of an aerial attack, Cinderblock intercepted my attack by grabbing me by the arm just before my attack hit. Once he had a hold of me, Cinderblock tossed me so hard that I send straight out of the battlefield.

When I got up from being tossed, I wasn't able to see where I was previously. Cinderblock had tossed me to some suburban area of the city. As I looked around, I immediately took notice of the house right in front of me. It was incredibly run down, with any color form it having faded from old age. The door was also wide open, almost as if someone or something wanted me to go inside. I couldn't resist taking a look, so decided to go inside.

The inside was just as run down as the outside. It was also really dusty and hard to breathe. After looking around for a few minutes, I noticed a picture frame sitting on top of an old dresser. It was slightly cracked, but otherwise undamaged. I went over and picked it up. It had a picture of two people. One was a confident looking man with blonde hair and brown eyes, and the other was a friendly looking woman with red hair and blue eyes. The woman was also holding a very young looking child in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. I could tell the child had blonde hair, but that was all.

It was strange, but the two people seemed familiar. Not only that but the man happened to resemble me slightly, and the woman looked kind of like… Starfire. But I knew it just had to be a coincidence. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was not alone in the old house, because after a moment, I heard a very familiar and ominous voice from behind me.

"Look familiar, don't they?" He said.

I gasped and turned around to see Slade standing behind me. Of all the opponents that I could encounter now, I was hoping that it wouldn't be him. Did he know I would be here? And if he did, how?

"What are _you_ doing here?!" I asked.

"Aren't you more curious about what this place is? Or who the people in that picture are? If you haven't already figured it out that is." He asked me.

He had a point. I was wondering who those two people were. And after a few seconds, I think I figured it out.

"Those two people are… my… parents." I said.

"Indeed. They were good people. It's quite… unfortunate what happened to them." He told me.

I gasped. He knew them?! I went to draw my sword, but Slade stopped me, saying there was no need; that he was not here to fight, but merely to talk.

"What happened to my parents? How do you even know about them?! And how do you know about my journey around the world?!" I demanded.

"I could tell you many things. But let's just say I had an accomplice of mine keep an eye on  
you." He told me.

An accomplice? Wait. Could he be referring to… Ghirahim?! Had Ghirahim been working for Slade this whole time?! Ghirahim had claimed before that he was looking for someone. And I had just recently learned that Slade was seeking an apprentice. Slade sending Ghirahim to spy on me would make sense, if it was true.

"As for how I know your parents, well… that's a discussion for another day." He said.

"No wait! Tell me! How do you know my…" I began to ask, but he had already disappeared before I could finish.

Shortly afterwards, my friends had arrived. Apparently they had tracked me on their communicators after they brought down Cinderblock. Starfire, just as before, was concerned and asked if I was injured in any way. I insisted that I was fine, and then she took notice of the picture frame that I had just put down, and the people in the picture.

"Who are the people pictured here?" she asked.

The others took also took notice after she asked that, and they all examined the picture. Robin commented that the man in the picture looked like me, and Cyborg mentioned how the woman in the picture looked like Starfire. Beast Boy then pointed out the child that the woman was carrying.

"That child she's carrying… who could that be?" she asked.

"That child… is me." I told them.

Everyone was surprised when they heard that. I told them that apparently, the two people in that picture were my parents, the parents that I had never known.

"Wait a minute. You told us you came from a little village east of here. And now you're telling us that you were born here in Jump City?!" Cyborg asked.

"Well… maybe. I don't have any memory of my life before I was Nobleman's student. So, I guess it's possible that I could've been born here." I answered.

"But if you were born here, how did you end up in that village?" Robin asked me.

"I don't know." I told him.

"We can figure all of this out later." Raven said. "Right now, we have to take Cinderblock back to jail."

As it would turn out, Cinderblock had been subdued, but not arrested yet. He was still bound up outside. I told everyone that I would catch up with them later. I wanted to stay for just a little bit longer. Robin seemed to understand and told me to call on the communicator when I was done here.

I stood there while still looking at the picture of my parents. What had happened to them? Did Slade have something to do with it? While I was wondering though, I had failed to notice that Beast Boy was still there. When I had noticed him, he was looking towards me with a rather smug look on his face.

"I know what that picture is making you think of." He said smugly.

"Uh… what?" I asked.

"It's making you think of how you'd really like to get together with Starfire." He said.

"WHAT?! No! What makes you think I'd think _that_?!" I said while slightly blushing at the thought.

"Dude, it's obvious you have a thing for her. You act really weird whenever you look at her, even weirder when looking in her eyes, and not only that, but you're also around her more than any of us." He said.

"Well, that's just because… we're really good friends. That's it." I told him.

"Heh! Yeah right dude. Doesn't matter, the two of you can't really be together anyway." He said.

"I said I don't…!" I began to say. "Wait. Why _couldn't_ she and I be together? Not… that I'd want us to be, but _why_?"

"Well, everyone knows that Starfire is Ro…." Beast Boy began to say.

Before he could finish though, Starfire suddenly came flying in and quickly covered Beast Boy's mouth with her hands, preventing him from saying… whatever it was he was going to say.

"Beast Boy, there you are! Please, we need your assistance in taking the Cinderblock to jail."  
She told him. "So please hush up now and come help us."

"Um… Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"Of course, Link! Everything is wonderful! I just need to have _the words_ with Beast Boy for a moment." She answered.

I really didn't know what was going on, but after Starfire's 'words' with Beast Boy in private, we all left my parent's old house. I contacted Robin on the communicator and told him that we would meet up them soon. Though I couldn't help but wonder what Beast Boy was going to say? And why Starfire saw the need to stop him.

Later, back at the Tower, I decided to do a bit of research on what I was up against. I asked Robin if he had any info on Slade and if I could see it. He then directed me to the investigation room, which had info about various criminals strewn about the walls, most of them being about Slade. Robin said I could use the room as long as I wanted. That was good, because I wanted to see if I could find any connection between Slade and my parents.

I had searched for nearly three hours and found out a few things, but nothing concerning my parents. A few minutes later, the door behind me opened and I heard Starfire's voice.

"Link? Robin told me that you were in here. Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh. Um… yeah, I'm okay. I just thought I'd do some research on my opponent. I don't want Slade to beat me again." I answered.

"So you have no time for the hanging out?" She asked.

"Thanks, but I'm kind of busy." I told her. "If I don't prepare myself for what I could be up against, Slade could seriously hurt me again. Or worse… he could hurt one of the others. He could hurt… you. I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt. So I need to be ready."

"Yes, I agree with you. And perhaps it would help if you… took a break…" She asked me somewhat weakly.

I gave what she said a little thought. I had been researching for three hours straight. I guess a little break wouldn't hurt.

"You know, on second thought, I'm not _that_ busy. I suppose I could take a break." I said.

As I was smiling, Starfire just seemed to have a surprised look on her face, as if she was expecting a different answer.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"Um… no. It's just… whenever Robin is in here, he is always too focused on working to want to do anything else. I just assumed…" She began to say.

"Well… I'm not Robin. My friends are more important to me than what I'm doing in here Starfire." I told her.

After hearing that, Starfire smiled, and I could've sworn I saw a sparkle in her eyes. I guess this meant that she was really happy that I decided to spend time with everyone, rather than continue researching.

"Oh, before I forget, I have something for you Link." She said.

She then quickly flew off towards her room. Just a moment later, she was back, and she had brought with her a necklace that had a golden heart-shaped attachment.

"I made this for you the other day." She told me. "Though it's not quite as nice as the ring you gave me three years ago. Still… I hope you like it."

She then handed me the necklace. As I held it, I noticed that the heart could open up. Upon opening it, what I saw warmed me up inside. There were two pictures; One of Starfire, and the other of me. I was not sure how she had gotten the picture of me, but it didn't matter. A small tear of joy fell from my eye, but I don't think she noticed.

"Thank you Starfire." I told her. "I… love it."

I could tell that that was the reaction that she had been hoping to hear. I blushed again as I saw her joyous expression, and I'm pretty sure that she was also blushing. I still didn't know why I always felt so weird around her, but I was happy, so it didn't matter much. After I placed the necklace around my neck, she and I exited the investigation room so we could spend some time together with our friends. I'd figure out the connection between Slade and my parents… but later.


	4. Chapter 4: New Methods

**Chapter Four: New Methods**

The next day, during combat practice, everyone was eager to see me get through the obstacle course again. It had been exciting for them to watch the first time, but that time I had only used my sword and shield. This time however, I was going to try and utilize all of my weapons to get through. Cyborg started up the course, and after a short countdown I started the course.

Right at the start two turrets popped up and began firing energy bolts at me. I quickly raised my shield to block the shots. I had recently discovered that while in spirit mode, my shield could reflect certain kinds of energy attacks back at the user, so I went into spirit mode and did just that. Both turrets were hit by their own shots and were destroyed. As I moved onward, several large gates attempted to close on me, but fortunately I was quick enough that I made it through each one right before they slammed shut.

The next area had three machines that whipped out several mechanical tentacles at me. Remembering the battle against the cursed tree that I faced during my journey, I pulled out my boomerang and threw it towards the devices. With spirit mode active, my boomerang was able to sever every tentacle at once, and with nothing to attack me with, the machines were no longer a threat. I then deactivated my spirit mode, to avoid its side effect. As I attempted to continue though, the ground suddenly opened up beneath me. I would have fallen straight to the bottom; that is, if I didn't have my hookshot.

I fired the hook towards the edge of the hole. It latched on and I was able to quickly pull myself back up to solid ground. The final part of the course had a device that shot exploding pellets. It had three red colored weak spots that I could not get to. For this situation, I pulled out my bow. While carefully dodging the pellets, I fired an arrow into each weak point, and the machine deactivated. Then after one final sprint, I crossed the finish line.

"Nice work Link! You beat your record!" Robin exclaimed.

My previous record had been about six minutes, but this time I managed to finish the course in five minutes and twenty-six seconds. Everyone congratulated me, though I claimed that it really wasn't anything to get excited over.

"You're just being modest. Man, I don't think even Robin has ever gotten through that fast." Cyborg said.

"Okay Cyborg, don't push it. We don't want him to get overconfident." Robin told him.

Robin then told me that he would like a word with me for a moment. It was about my fighting methods. He claimed that while impressive, I might not always be able to rely on weapons alone.

"Well… Nobleman never taught how to fight without a sword." I told him. "Perhaps you could teach me?"

"You want _me_ to teach you hand-to-hand combat?!" Robin responded in a surprised tone.

"Yeah. You are the best I've seen at doing it. Plus it would be great to learn from a friend." I said.

"Well, I guess I could teach you the basics." He told me. "How about we meet in the training room in about one hour. That'll give us a little time to rest first."

I nodded in response, then we all headed back into the tower. The others asked if they could watch while Robin taught me. I didn't see a why not, so I said yes. Starfire in particular was eager to see what would happen.

An hour later we all met in the training room. Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven all sat on the sidelines, while Robin and I stood face to face so he could explain the basics before our mock battle began.

"The key to physical combat is to not only knowing how to fight with your hands and legs, but is also about control." He told me. "You not only need to be able to use your own moves, but to also know your opponent methods."

I kind of already knew that. It was the same principle when fighting with my sword. This time however, I wouldn't have a sword, so I needed to listen to everything Robin told me. To start off, he demonstrated several different attacks that utilize punches or kicks, and then asked me to try and mimic what he did. Surprisingly, I was able to mimic them without much trouble.

Everyone else was surprised by this too, and Robin was impressed, saying that I was a fast learner.

After that, our mock battle began. We each assumed battle ready positions, and a moment later, Robin made the first move using a jumping kick. I dodged it, and tried to retaliate with a kick of my own, but he ducked under it and hit me with a punch from below. It hurt, but not too badly. I then tried one of the moves that Robin had shown me before the fight. He was able to see this coming though, and counterattacked, which knocked me down.

"You're able to use the attacks well, but you also need to think of how you're going to use them." He told me.

I got back up and went at him again with a series of punches and kicks. Robin was able to block each attack and attempt a counterattack, but I was able to block too. We were both locked in close combat, with everyone watching intently from the sidelines. We seemed evenly matched.

Robin's previous comment gave me an idea. I activated spirit mode and tried seeing if it could influence my physical attacks like it could with my weapons. As it would turn out, it could, because both of my hands were now glowing blue and my attacks were becoming much faster and harder for Robin to avoid. At some point one of my attacks managed to get through, and my punch sent Robin sliding backwards several feet. Everyone gasped, and I don't blame them, for I was just as surprised as they were.

"Not bad! With some more training, physical combat will be easy for you." Robin complimented.

I deactivated spirit mode. That battle had left me exhausted, but it was a thrill to fight in a new style.

"To be honest, I used my spirit mode powers with those last attacks." I told him.

"That's fine. Sometimes you may need a boost in the middle of a fight." He said. "By the way, that power of yours. How exactly does it work?"

"Well, it was a power given to me by the light spirit, Lanayru. When I use it, it allows me to react faster in battle and strengthen my attacks. It can also grant my weapons special powers too. And apparently it can also work when I don't have a weapon." I told him.

"Sounds like a handy power. But I've noticed that you don't use it that often. Is there some downside to it?" Robin asked me.

"There is. If I stay in spirit mode for longer than ten minutes, it will automatically deactivate and sap me of my energy, leaving me exhausted and nearly immobile. I'm usually able to regain my strength after one minute, but most often I don't have that long to wait." I answered. "Plus once I deactivate it, it takes a few minutes before I can use it again. So I can't really abuse it too much."

"Still, it's a useful power. You should be grateful that you have it." Robin told me.

"Yeah. I am." I responded.

Starfire flew up to congratulate me on doing so well. Robin claimed that he was going easy on me that time, which I had already known. Even so, everyone was still impressed that I did so well on my first try.

"You did amazing Link! I would imagine that it is quite difficult to keep up with Robin. And your spirit powers are glorious!" Starfire complimented. "And I have noticed when you utilize your mode of spirit… your eyes glow a lot like mine do."

"Yeah, I had noticed that. But I'm pretty sure that's just a coincidence." I told her.

Later that day, we were all about the tower doing random things. As for me, I was just sitting on the couch attempting to read the strange book that Raven had given me. I still couldn't understand a single word in it, but there were some pictures accompanying the text, so I just looked at those for now. There were numerous images, such as a bird like symbol with three triangles like on the books cover, an impressive looking castle, and a vile looking boar faced monster holding two gigantic swords. But what caught most of my attention was a picture of this girl dressed like a princess. It was difficult to make out from the faded image, but I was able to see most of her figure, and aside from the pointed ears, she looked a lot like Starfire.

I just noticed that Robin passed by looking kind of depressed. I tried to ask if he was okay, but he just ignored me and continued into the hall. I wonder what was bothering him. Whatever it was, I'm sure he'd be over it eventually. Returning my attention to the book, I soon found another image of that girl, just as faded as the last one. I took a look at my necklace for a moment and then pulled out my spirit gem. While I gazed at it, I began wondering once again why I always felt so strange when around Starfire. After some thought, I recalled a comment that Beast Boy had said to me the other day, when he mentioned that he thought that I would want to get 'together' with Starfire. I had denied it then, but maybe it was true.

I thought about it again, and after a moment, I finally realized something. I think the reason that I felt so strange when I was around Starfire, why I keep blushing when I look in her eyes, why I enjoy being around her so much, why she is almost always on my mind, was because I have feelings for her. I had been experiencing an emotion that I had never felt before.

I finally realized it and admitted it to myself, but I still wondered… should I tell her? She was always open with me about her emotions, and I didn't see any reason that I should keep it from her. I decided to at least try to tell her, so I got up to start searching the tower. I searched every room in the tower, but there was no sign of her. Eventually, I ran into Raven, albeit not literally like I had when I first met her.

"Hey Raven, do you know where Starfire is?" I asked her.

"Starfire? Hmm… I think I saw her going up to the roof." She told me.

I thanked Raven for the info and began to head for the roof. What was she doing up there anyway? It was almost nighttime, maybe she was waiting to look at the stars. Then again, that's something that I do, but maybe she was doing that now too. Once I opened the door to the rooftop, I did indeed see Starfire up there. But Robin was there too.

Robin had looked really depressed earlier. I guess Starfire was trying to cheer him up. Apparently that's exactly what was going on, for a moment later, Starfire gave Robin a hug, like the one she gave me a few days ago. Starfire is always willing to try and cheer people up whenever they're depressed. I guess that was one of the things I loved about her.

What happened next however, was something that shocked me horribly. The two of them were slowly leaning closer to each other, and then they… kissed. My whole face turned white with shock after I saw it. I felt a horrifyingly painful sting come from my chest, as if a sword or knife had pierced straight through my heart. I could not bear to see anymore. I went back inside and headed back towards the ops room, still feeling the pain in my heart. I had just realized that I loved her, and now I had found out that… she loved another. She loved the very same person that had helped me train in physical combat earlier, a person who I admired like a brother… until now at least.

I had been in love with Starfire for over three years, but now… I was experiencing what it was like… to have your heart broken.


	5. Chapter 5: Heartbroken

**Chapter Five: Heartbroken**

I just sat there on the couch, with tears forming in my eyes. After what I had just seen, how could I not be sad. I had found out the truth; Starfire and Robin were a couple. The unbearable pain in my heart wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried to dispel it. Now I knew what Beast Boy meant when he said that Starfire and I couldn't be together. It was because… she was already taken.

It hurt enough that Starfire was in love with someone else, but it hurt even more because of the fact that she didn't even tell me. She had been so nice to me, cared about me in a loving manner, yet she never mentioned anything about her being together with Robin. I had always thought that she and I could tell each other anything, no matter what. But now, well… I didn't know what to believe anymore.

Later that evening, Cyborg had ordered a pizza and we were all sitting around the table enjoying it. Well, except for me that is. I was so depressed that I just wasn't hungry, so my slice of pizza just sat there in front of me getting colder… like my heart. The others eventually took notice of this.

"Hey Link, you haven't touched your pizza. Is something wrong?" Robin asked me.

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm just… not hungry." I answered.

Beast Boy then asked if he could have my piece. Starfire was about to say that what Beast Boy had asked was rude, but I said it was fine and gave him my piece.

"I need to go out and get some air anyway." I said before I got up and headed for the front door.

I was reaching for the door and about to head outside when I heard Starfire's voice behind me. She sounded concerned, but I did not turn around to look her in the eyes. It would've just hurt even more if I did.

"Link?" She asked. "You seemed to be very depressed while at the table. Is there something troubling you?"

"No it's just… I… have a lot on my mind right now. I just need to step out for a while." I told her, though that wasn't the whole truth.

"Perhaps I could come with you? You look like you could use the comfort of a friend, and maybe there is something I could do to help you feel better?" she asked.

She broke my heart, and the fact that she was still being so kind to me was only making me feel even worse about it. She was not able to see it, but my eyes were full of tears.

"No. Sorry Starfire, but I just… I just need to be alone." I responded.

I then opened the front doors and left the tower. Somehow though I believe Starfire knew that something else was going on; because she knew that I did not like to be all alone.

I had made my way to the city park and sat down on one of the benches. I had gotten away from the tower, but the pain I was still feeling had not diminished, not even a little bit. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and stomped on. Still, I probably should've seen this coming. After all, I had been gone for three years, with no way to contact any of them. I really couldn't blame her for falling for someone else. Even so… it still hurt.

It was at that moment that I pulled out my spirit gem. It was a fusion of mine and Starfire's spirit energy that was supposed to represent the bond we had, and ordinarily it made me feel happy when I held it. But this time, holding it only made me think of how she had hurt me.

"This spirit gem…" I said to myself. "Means NOTHING anymore!"

I then forcefully threw it towards a nearby trash can. It didn't go in; it just hit the side and fell to the ground. I didn't care though; it had no meaning to me anymore. Afterwards, I just sat there sobbing with my face in my hands.

"I guess you have found out the truth." A familiar voice said from out of nowhere.

I knew whose voice it was. It was Slade. I didn't bother to look up though, I didn't see the point. I did respond however.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"I was expecting a more aggressive response, considering what transpired during our last encounter." Slade answered.

"I'm not up for a fight right now, if that's what you came for. But if there's no choice on my part, go ahead and beat me up. I don't care." I said.

"Discovering the truth about your friend has really shattered your confidence. But you'll eventually have to move on. You have much greater purposes to fulfill." He told me.

"What would you know about any of that?" I asked.

"I happen to know a lot about you, kid." He answered. "As for your parents, well… you still wish to know what happened to them, correct?"

As depressed as I was, I did want to know about my parents, so I sat up to hear what he had to say.

"Your parents' names were Daniel and Mary Skyward." Slade said as he began to tell me what he knew. "As for how I know them, Daniel and I were once partners in the military. In fact, the two of us were good friends back then."

Slade and my father were friends?! It sounded strange, but really, I didn't know what to believe now, so I continued to listen.

"During a past war overseas, Daniel met an enslaved girl named Mary. Once the war was over, Mary wished to go with Daniel back to America. The two of them fell in love and eventually married, with Daniel working with the city police force, while Mary offered her services at the local hospital." He continued.

My parents sounded like they were great people, doing what they could to help everyone. As for me though… I wasn't sure if I had the will or motivation to be a hero anymore.

"After some time, the two of them had a child, and as I'm sure you're aware, that child was you. Shortly afterwards your father had begun to seek an ancient artifact. For what purpose is unknown, but during his research he met with a… unfortunate accident that sadly, took his life. As his old military friend, I took it upon myself to help raise you. However, your mother got the wrong idea and thought that I had killed him, so she fled the city. Apparently the trek across the mountains had been too treacherous for her, and she passed away. The spirit of the village you were raised in then gave you to your former mentor, with who you remained with until the day I came." He finished.

The story I had heard was rather confusing, but from what I could gather I had been meant to go with Slade in the first place. But… he's a criminal. As I continued to think about what I had heard, Slade had a bit more to add.

"You're disappointed from learning that the one you loved has abandoned you. I can understand this." He said. "However, you need to realize that sometimes in order to progress, we must leave behind the things that we hold dear. I know this from experience."

"But… I'm a hero." I said.

"Only because you let the spirit lead you down that path. Search your feelings Link, and ask yourself this; if _you_ were to choose, what would you do?" Slade asked me.

My head seemed to hurt as I thought about what he said. Storm clouds were forming in the sky as I kept thinking. Starfire had abandoned me, broken my heart, and stabbed me in the back. And without her, what did I have to be happy about? What purpose was left for me to be a hero? The thought that came to me was…. nothing. The moment that thought entered my head, I felt the eye-shaped birthmark on my left arm burn furiously. It did not hurt as much as the pain I felt in my heart when I saw Starfire kiss Robin, but I felt it spread to every part of my body.

_"Let the darkness take hold of you… and let your despair… turn to hatred! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_

This was the last thing that I heard within my own mind before I blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6: Dark Link

**Chapter Six: Dark Link**

(Starfire's narration) Due to certain… um… _circumstances_, Link will be unable to narrate this part of the story. Instead, I, Starfire, will be temporarily telling the story in his absence.

It had been nearly three hours since Link had left the tower for 'the stepping out'. As I stared out the window, I noticed that it was beginning to rain. I was starting to worry. It looked as if a storm of thunder was coming. I heard Cyborg remark that the television forecast did not call for a storm. I was not going to wait any longer. I was going to go look for him. Robin tried to stop me though.

"Starfire, it's not safe out there right now." He told me.

"But Link is out there by himself. I do not wish for him to be caught in a storm." I responded.

"Link has dealt with worse, Starfire. I'm sure he'll be fine." Robin said.

"But… I'm still worried." I replied.

I decided that I was going to go find him, regardless of whether it was too dangerous or not. Once outside, I flew all over the city for any sign of him. It was quite hard while it was raining, and the darkness from the clouds of rain made it difficult to spot anything.

Eventually though, I spotted a small glint of a shiny object coming from the city park below me. I flew down to investigate, trying my best to endure the cold and rain.

I searched around for a while, before I found where the glint had come from. To my surprise, it was Link's spirit gem, and it was on the ground near a can of trash. Something bad must've happened. Link never does not have his spirit gem with him. What could have happened?

I decided to call in the others to help investigate. After I told them what I had found, they rushed over as fast as they could. We all split up to see if we could find any sign of Link. As I continued to search, I saw something that shocked me. On the ground in front of a park bench was the gold necklace that I had made for Link. But it was split apart and had the frames within it cracked, as if someone had stepped on it.

All of the sudden a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, and I was able see the silhouette of someone not too far from where I was. I flew in that direction and looked around for whoever I had seen. Eventually I had found who it was. It was Link!

"Link! Oh, thank goodness I have found you. Please come back with us to the tower, it is not safe out here." I told him.

But he did not respond. He merely stood there, turned away from me. Something did not seem right.

"Oh! I found your spirit gem. You must have dropped it." I said.

"You can keep it. It means nothing to me anymore." He told me.

His voice sounded different than normal. Rather than the light, friendly voice he normally had, what I heard just now felt… angry.

"Link? A-a-are you okay?" I asked him, feeling a little frightened for some reason.

"No. No I'm not okay. And to be honest, I don't think I'll ever be okay again!" He said.

He turned around to face me after he said that, and right away I could tell something was very wrong. His entire outfit was darker than before, and his eyes were no longer blue, but a frightening shade of red. What frightened me most of all though was what was on his left arm.  
It was covered in black vein-like patterns that extended from his hand to the left side of his face. The entire sight of this made me gasp in horror.

"Link! W-what has happened to you?!" I asked fearfully.

"Don't like my new look? Well, get used it, because I'm not the Link that you knew before anymore." He answered. "And I have you to 'thank' for it. Now do me a favor, and get out of my life!"

He then drew his sword and pointed it towards me. I could not believe what I just heard. My best friend was trying to hurt me. But why?

A moment later the others found us and Robin asked if I was alright. I was fine, but I told him that I was more concerned about Link. Everyone gasped as they saw Link's horrifying new appearance, and Robin questioned what was happening.

"What's happened is that I'm done being a Titan! I'm through with being on a team that doesn't care about me!" He told everyone angrily.

He then took his communicator and threw to the ground right in front of Robin's feet. I did not understand. Why was Link so furious? What had happened?

"Hey, c'mon man, chill! We don't want to fight you!" Cyborg said.

As a response, I saw Link suddenly vanish and then reappear right behind Cyborg. Then to everyone's horror, Link used his sword and sliced off Cyborg's arm! The shock of the attack caused Cyborg to stumble to the ground. This was unusual; I do not recall Link having the power to teleport.

"Is that so? Too bad the feeling's not mutual." Link said rather wickedly.

"Dude! What is wrong with you?!" Beast Boy yelled at him.

I was going to tell Beast Boy that that was the wrong thing to say, but it did not seem to affect Link too much.

"The only thing wrong is that I was foolish enough to think you were my friends!" He responded.

Link then ambushed Beast Boy by hitting him with his shield. Raven then tried to subdue Link with her powers, but Link vanished before he was struck and then reappeared behind Raven. He then hit her with several punches and knocked her to the ground. Link then directed his attention to Robin. He had an evil look on his face as he told Robin something that we all found shocking.

"By the way Robin, did I mention that I'm now working with Slade?" He asked in a rhetorical manner.

Now I see what happened. Link had been feeling depressed before. Slade must've gotten to Link and somehow messed around with his mind, and now Link thinks that we are his enemies. I was going to attempt to try talking to him, but Robin cast a smokescreen and ordered all of us to fall back.

I was still able to see Link through the smoke, and I knew he could see me. He still had that angry look on his face. I followed Robin's orders and fled the area. I did not completely understand what was going on with Link, but I had to find out. I did not want to lose him again.

Back at the tower, we were all gathered in the ops room to discuss the current situation. We had all expected Beast Boy to suggest some farfetched ideas about how Link could've turned evil, but as he barely knew anything about him, he did not have any ideas. Everyone else was wondering why we could not just fight him, like we did with any evil-doer. I already had the answer to that question.

"Because… he is not an evil-doer. He is Link." I said. "He is a Titan. A Hero. A friend."

"Can we really be sure about that?" Robin suggested.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"What I mean is, other than a vague back-story, we barely knew anything about him." He said. "For all we know, he could've been playing us from the start. How do we know that the Link we saw wasn't his true self. What if he really is evil."

I did not like the way that Robin was talking. I felt like he was acting like a complete Klorbag. I almost cannot believe I did this, but I floated up to him and, to everyone's surprise, I swiftly smacked him in the face.

"What you are saying is not true! Link is not…" I began to say.

"Hey! In case you haven't noticed, the guy cut off my arm! Seems pretty evil to me. I'm just glad it reattaches." Cyborg said.

With all of these comments suggesting that Link was truly evil, I was beginning to grow angry. As a sign of that I shot one of my starbolts straight into the wall.

"Whoa! Take it easy Star!" Beast Boy told me.

"None of you have any idea what you are speaking of!" I told them all angrily.

It was strange. The only other time I had felt this furious was when it had concerned Robin being forced to date a girl named Kitten by her villainous father. But the anger I felt now was not just from jealousy or mere rage. I really felt for Link. In fact, I believe it was the same kind of feelings that I had for Robin, but… even more so.

"I knew Link better than anyone else. He opened up to me more than anyone. I know how lonely and depressed he had been throughout his life, and even more so during his journey across the Earth." I explained. "He has been through many things. But he is NOT evil!"

"Starfire, you heard what he said. He's working for Slade!" Robin reminded me.

"I do not seem to recall giving up on you when you were working for Slade." I told him.

Robin's expression changed. Now it looked like he felt sorry for me. I was going to save Link, even if I had to do it all by myself. Fortunately though, I did not have to, for the others stepped up to defend me.

"Dude, Starfire's right. Link is just another victim of Slade's mind tricks. There's no way he's evil." Beast Boy said.

"He may have cut off my arm, but Star's right. The guy's not himself right now, but that's Slade's fault." Cyborg said.

"Link gives off an unfriendly aura, but I can tell that he's not evil. And I should know…" Raven said.

I was very grateful that everyone else was willing to help me to help Link. Robin was still not sure, but after a moment of thought, he decided he would give Link one chance. That may have been his decision, but I was not going to give up on Link at all. As for Link's spirit gem, I quickly fashioned it onto a necklace and placed it around my neck, hoping that it may bring me good luck.

As it would just so happen, the tower's alarm went off. It was Link, and he had infiltrated a tech company, similar to the one we had investigated a few days ago. After a few minutes of preparation, we all set out for the scene of the crime, in the hopes of finding Link, and hopefully to help him return to normal.


	7. Chapter 7: Robin vs Dark Link

**Chapter Seven: Robin vs Dark Link**

(Starfire's narration)

We arrived at the company of technology which had been broken into by Link, who for some reason had become evil. Once inside, Robin ordered us to split up and search the facility. I took the path to the north, the very same one Link had took in a similar building during a mission a few days ago. Back when he was still… our friend. I wasn't going to rest until I found him, and returned him to normal.

As I kept flying down the hall, I eventually made my way back to the same room that we had split up from. Robin arrived shortly afterwards. I was guessing that these halls all connected somehow. I was expecting the others to appear soon too. However, almost ten minutes passed and they had still not shown up. Robin tried calling them on their communicators, but there was no response.

Robin suggested that we go back outside in an attempt to get a better signal. We tried just that, but there was still no response. I was frightened a little, it was just me and Robin now, and while ordinarily that would not be such a bad thing, this time I was… worried.

"I don't get it? Why can't we contact anyone?!" Robin asked himself.

"Why indeed." A familiar voice said from out of sight.

It had come from the alley on next to the building, and I knew whose voice it was. It was Link. And somehow I think he had led us into a trap.

"Link." Robin said. "It's about time you showed up."

"I had a feeling that I'd encounter the two of you here… together… _again_." Link said with a hint of spite in his voice.

"Where are the others?! Why can't I contact them?!" Robin demanded.

"Heh heh. It's quite simple really. I deactivated their communicators after I attacked them. The whole purpose of me breaking into that building was to separate all of you. That way I could pick you off one by one." Link explained deviously. "I've already taken Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven to my Master's new lair. Don't fret though, they're alive; Unconscious, but alive."

Link had… attacked the others and imprisoned them! I couldn't believe it! I didn't want to believe it! I wanted the old Link back… _my_ Link.

"You're _abducting_ us?!" Robin asked surprised.

All Link responded with was a small evil chuckle. Robin clenched his fists in anger.

"Link. I swear, you're going to pay for this!" He warned him.

I could tell Robin was about to try and fight Link, but I before he tried that, I had a different idea. I wanted to try talking to him, hoping that he would listen.

"Robin, wait." I said. "Link, what is this all about? Why are you doing all of this?"

Upon hearing that question, Link lowered his head to the ground and clenched his fists before giving me an answer.

"Why? You should know very well _WHY!_" He told me.

"No. I do not. I would not be asking you why if I already knew." I told him. "Will you please tell me?"

Link paused for a moment, likely to consider whether or not to answer my question.

"Before I answer that, I have a few questions for _you_." He said. "Say that you only ever desired one thing in life, and then after waiting so long, you finally found it. How would that make you feel?"

Robin was about to attempt to answer the question himself, but before he could, Link angrily yelled at him that the question was not for him. This had surprised us both, and scared me a little, but I still answered the question.

"If I finally found the thing I desired? Well… I would no doubt feel very happy." I said.

"Right. Now say that after you had found the one thing in life you desired, it was, without any warning, taken away from you. How would that make you feel?" Link asked me.

"Well… I would feel very sad if that happened." I answered. "But what does this have to do with the current situation?"

"It has _everything_ to do with this situation. You see, those two questions I asked; I experienced both recently." He told me. "Recently, the only thing in life I ever desired was taken away from me. Or rather, the only '_someone_'; And I'm pretty certain you can guess who that is."

He had lost someone close to him? I knew that out of all the people he knew (which was not a lot), he cared about me the most. But how was I 'taken away' from him?

"You are referring to me, correct?" I asked him. "But Link, I haven't been taken away. I am right here."

"Hmph! You certainly are naïve. I don't mean that you were literally taken. What I mean is, well… I saw what happened on the roof of the tower the other day, what you did… with _HIM!_" He said, pointing viciously at Robin afterwards.

On the roof of the tower? What I did? With Robin? After only a short thought, I knew what he was talking about, and a look of shock appeared on my face. He was speaking of the kiss. He _saw_ that?! I had hoped that he would _not_ see that! I had thought that he may react in the wrong way, but I had never thought it would be like_ this!_

"Do you have _any_ idea how that made me feel inside?" Link asked me. "…it hurt. It hurt more than you could ever imagine!"

As Link told me this, I began to feel horrible. I knew that Link liked me _a lot_, which is why I did not tell him of my relationship with Robin. And now, seeing him feeling so hurt inside, I could hardly bear it.

"Wait a minute?" Robin asked. "_That's_ what this is about?! When Star and I kissed on the rooftop?! You mean to tell me no one told you she and I were dating?! You turned evil out of… _jealousy?!_"

I had noticed that with every one of those questions Robin asked, Link seemed to grow more and more angry. When the final word was spoken, Link's entire body became surrounded by red colored electricity, and I noticed that the black vein-like markings on his left arm were spreading longer.

"SHUT UP! I've _had it_ with you Robin!" Link raged. "I can tell now that all Starfire ever thinks about at all is _you_, and no one else! Everyone else is just garbage to her, including _me!_ You think you're so great just because you're the team leader! WELL I'VE HAD IT!"

Link rushed at Robin faster than either of us could react and punched him right in the jaw. The impact sent Robin flying into a building wall that was at least 100 feet away! I had never seen Link to be this powerful before, or this angry! I wanted to tell Link that what he said, about me only ever thinking of Robin, was not true at all, but I was too scared to do anything right now. Robin was able to recover from the attack though, and stood up to face Link eye to eye.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! And this time I'm _not_ going easy!" Robin warned him.

"Good. Then come at me… _bro_." Link said as a way to… intimidate Robin, I guess.

After he said that, Link's eyes started glowing in the manner that they do when he is in spirit mode. But instead of glowing in the blue color I know so well, his eyes were washed over in menacing red light. Robin made the first attack by pulling out his bo staff to try and hit Link with it. However, we were both surprised when Link intercepted it, with only two fingers!

"Heh heh heh. Did you _really_ think that would work?" Link asked him sarcastically.

Robin's staff then became covered in red electricity and simply fell apart. This did not phase Robin however, and he attacked again, this time with a series of complex martial art moves. But Link was able to block every one of his attacks with what seemed like little effort. He then quickly punched Robin in the stomach, causing him to stagger, and then kicked him into a street light.

Robin got up and tried firing several of his bird-erangs at Link. Link just stood there, and it seemed like they would hit. Surprisingly however, each bird-erang froze in mid-air right before they hit. Link chortled, and then the bird-erangs glowed red and shot themselves back at Robin. He managed to dodge the first few, but the last one hit his right arm, weakening him.

Robin tried attacking Link again, despite the fact that he was so exhausted. Link however, was able to counterattack by grabbing Robin's arm in mid-punch. He then gripped Robin's head and slammed him into the ground, with the force of the impact leaving a small crater. Even after all of this Robin still got up again.

"You certainly have willpower. But I'm afraid there's no way you can beat me as I am _now_." Link told him mockingly.

"That's… what _you_ think!" Robin said weakly.

"Actually… that's what I _know_. You see changing sides has granted me a few… _advantages._" Link responded.

Right after saying that, Link held his hand out, and from his fingertips shot an intense stream of red lightning that struck Robin. Robin screamed in agony as it hit him. I did not want this to go on! I did not want to continue watching my friends fight and possibly be… killed.

When the red lightning stopped, Robin fell to the ground, and was not moving. Link walked up and looked down at him.

"Looks like you've been _fried_, bird boy." Link taunted.

Before he could do anything else, he noticed that I was behind him, with a starbolt aimed at him. I was scared, but I could not let this go on.

"_Do.. not.. move_." I warned him.

Link did not move or try to attack, but merely stood there and gave a small laugh.

"You're really going to hit me with a starbolt? If you did, it would only confirm everything that I said before. That Robin is the only one you ever think about. And that everyone else is _garbage_ to you." He told me.

I started to hesitate. I didn't want to believe it, but maybe he was right. If I attacked him, I could risk ending our friendship forever.

"To be honest, you would probably be doing me a favor." He said. "So go ahead… fire away."

What he had just said… it had really cut deep. He actually wanted me to attack him? To end everything? The thought of that made tears begin to form in my eyes.

"I… I… I cannot do it. I just cannot hurt you Link." I told him.

Link looked a bit surprised and questioned why I would not hurt him, even after he had beaten Robin senseless.

"You are my best friend, Link… and you always will be. I am sorry that you had to find out about me and Robin in the hard way… but even though he and I are a couple, it does not mean that I don't like you anymore." I told him, while tears fell from my eyes.

Upon hearing this, Link's expression changed. He now had a surprised look on his face, as if he was not expecting any of this.

"I did not mean to hurt you so badly, Link. I'm sorry." I continued. "Still… as you are now, I do not expect you to believe me. But if you truly believe that you must be rid of me… then… if it makes you happy… _do what you must_."

I then lowered my hand and leaned my head downward. When Link saw this, he did not attack. Instead, all of the sudden I heard him speak in his normal voice.

"Starfire? No. I could never hurt you, Starfire! I lo…" I heard him begin to say.

However he stopped for some reason, and a look of sheer terror appeared on his face. Just then he clutched his head in pain, as if something within him was doing something to him. What happened next made me gasp in horror. I heard a voice come from Link, but it was not his voice, nor Slade's. I had never heard this voice before, but it sounded extremely powerful, and extremely evil.

_"And what do you think you are doing? Do you really think you can resist my power so easily? You are MINE now, you FOOL! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_

It was the most terrifying thing I had ever heard, and after it had spoken, Link looked angry again. In fact, he looked worse than before. There was now a flaming red aura surrounding him, and the black markings on his left arm had spread even further now.

"So you choose not to attack? Very well. That will only make this _easier_ for me!" He told me.

Link then rushed at me, too fast for me to react, and grabbed me by my neck. He then slammed me against the wall of a building while still gripping my neck. He drew his sword and laughed evilly.

"Nice little speech by the way. I assume that you tried the same tactic with Robin when he was working for Slade. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that tactic isn't going to work this time. You see… there is another force at play here, far stronger than Slade, and it does not tolerate failure!" Link told me.

"Link… Please… don't do this…" I said to him weakly.

My eyes were still full of tears. Link saw this, but he did not seem to care. No doubt because of that horrible Zorb-Morking evil force that was controlling him, whatever it was. As my tears fell, one of them fell on to Link's spirit gem on the necklace I was wearing. Suddenly it began glowing very brightly, and when it did, Link released his grip on me and backed away, attempting to shield himself from the glow. It was the strangest thing but while the gem was glowing, I could feel the good Link's presence. A few seconds later, the glow faded.

"Consider yourself lucky." Link said. "You get to live today. But don't think this is over."

He then walked over to Robin, who was still lying motionless on the ground. Link reached down and picked him up by the collar of his cape.

"In the meantime, I'll be taking your little boyfriend back with me back to Slade's lair." Link told me.

I gasped after I hearing that. Link turned around to face me.

"I knew that would be your reaction. Don't worry, he's not dead… at least not _yet_." He told me. "Which reminds me…"

Link then tossed me a titan communicator that he had most likely taken from one of the others. I caught it, and noticed that it had Slade's insignia scratched onto it.

"That communicator has the coordinates to Slade's lair programmed into it. Use it to find me when you want to rescue your friends." He explained. "I won't wait forever though. I'll give you 72 hours to prepare yourself. If you do not arrive before then, well let's just say… _you'll wish that you had_."

After explaining this to me he faded into the darkness, taking Robin with him. He was only giving me three days to save my friends. But how was I going to face him again? How was I going to dispel that evil force and return him to normal?


	8. Chapter 8: Starfire and the Light Spirit

**Chapter Eight: Starfire and Light Spirit**

(Starfire's narration)

I had flown back to Titans Tower after mine and Robin's encounter with Link, who had turned evil due to an unknown force. Robin had engaged Link in battle, and lost. Now he was being held captive at Slade's lair. I was very worried for him and the others, but the one I was worried for the most… was Link.

The entire reason that Link had turned over to the side of evil was because he had been hurt… by me. Before any of these events, Link had always been very fond of me. He had always been willing to open himself up to me, always had time to spend with friends rather than being over-focused on other matters, and from what I knew, he had never kept anything from me. It was for these reasons that I did not want to tell him that Robin and I were a couple, for I was afraid that he would take it in the wrong way. I had even spoken with the rest of my friends and insisted that they do not mention my relationship to him.

However, when Robin was feeling upset about himself the other day, I thought it to be the right thing to let him know I cared. Link, however, saw the moment between me and him. I had shown Robin that I cared about him, but in doing so, I inadvertently caused Link to believe that I did not care for him anymore, which of course was not true. I have the same feelings for both of them, and in all honesty, I am now torn between the two.

The inside of the tower was quiet. More quiet than I had ever heard while within it. I was all alone now, and it felt awful. I could see why Link had never wanted to be alone before. While in the ops room, I noticed that there was a small blue object on the couch. It was a flute like instrument, one that I had heard Link playing before. I believe he called it an ocarina. He must have left it here earlier, before all of these terrible events transpired.

I sat down on the couch and stared down at Link's spirit gem which was still attached to my necklace. It was made of spirit energy, from both me and Link. It formed the day we met, but neither of us knew why. Link had always claimed that whenever he held this, he would always think of me and feel happy, no doubt because of his feelings for me. With Link now believing that I care not for him, I could see why he tried to throw this away. I… I felt like a Klorbag Varblernl'k for doing such a terrible thing to him… for breaking his heart.

"I… I don't want to lose him again. Link is too nice of a person to suffer like this. But how am I to save him? What am I supposed to do?" I asked myself while holding the spirit gem close to my heart.

As if to answer my question, all of the sudden I saw a small strange light shining in front of the hall door behind me. The bright glow was strange, and yet it also seemed… familiar. A voice then spoke to me from the same direction.

"Brave youth… if you wish to know the truth… bring the instrument… and follow." It said.

Afterwards the strange light floated through the door. I did not know who had spoken to me, but whoever it was, if they could help me save Link that was all that mattered, so I decided to follow it. I grabbed Link's ocarina and floated after the light. It led me to the outside of the tower, but it was still going. It had now ascended into the air and was heading towards the mountains. The storm from earlier was still brewing above the sky, but I endured it and flew after the light.

I kept following it, and then after about half an hour of flying the light descended to the ground, into a vast forested area. I descended too, making sure not to lose track of it. Eventually, it led me to a beautiful area with a spring of freshwater. The strange light hovered over the spring, finally having stopped moving. I walked over to the edge of the spring, past an odd mound of soil that was in front of it. I wonder; what it could have been?

"Where am I?" I asked. "Is there someone here who can help me?"

Right after I had asked that, the small strange light sank into the spring. A moment later, the water and rocks in the spring suddenly began to glow, and a magnificent glowing sphere rose out of the water. I took a few steps back, being not quite sure what to make of this situation. A gigantic golden serpent then rose out of the water and coiled itself around the sphere. The creature was covered in strange markings, and was now looking at me.

"Welcome, young Starfire. My name is Lanayru. I am one of the great light spirits that protect this world at the behest of the gods." He told me.

"Lanayru? Link has told me about you! You are the great spirit that saved his life in the past! Are you not?" I asked him.

Lanayru nodded to answer my question. So this was the spirit of light that Link had spoken so highly of, but I had not expected him to be something like this. Come to think of it, I felt like I had already seen this spirit before, but I could not remember where.

"Great spirit of light Lanayru, please… I need your assistance. Link, the boy that you saved so long ago, and my dearest friend, has turned to the side of evil… and now I am quite certain that it was against his will." I told him. "You are his guardian, correct? Will you please assist me in saving him?"

"Unfortunately, the dark power that has embedded itself in your friend is far too powerful. While my power is great, I'm afraid that there is nothing I can do." Lanayru responded.

This was not what I wanted to hear. I begged the spirit to reconsider, but he would not. I began to question whether he even cared, and I began to grow angry again.

"You claim to be Link's guardian, and yet you will not even help him when in danger! You are merely going to stay here like some one-winged fopnar and allow him to suffer?!" I yelled, while hardly thinking of what had just escaped my mouth.

"It is not my role to do this task. There is a way to save him, but it does not lie with the spirits." He told me.

"Then… where does it lie?" I asked.

"Before I tell you, I have another story for you to hear." Lanayru said. "It is time that you know the past of the boy you are so determined to save."

I decided that I would listen to the spirit's words. I sat down on the mound of soil behind me and listened.

"Many years ago, in the very city that you live in today, there lived two individuals. These two were Link's parents; Daniel Skyward and Mary Skyward. Each of them did what they could to help those around them. They were heroes, and in time, they came together as a couple and had a child; A child who, unfortunately, was plagued by an ancient curse." Lanayru told me.

An ancient curse? Perhaps that was the horrifying voice that I had heard come from Link before! Lanayru continued on with the story.

"The child would not awaken, as if trapped in an endless nightmare. His father searched far and wide for a cure, and eventually came upon the legends of an ancient artifact, the Triforce, which was said to grant the one who touches it anything they desire. It existed in another dimension, so Daniel began research on a way to reach that dimension."

"However, Slade Wilson, a partner and friend of Daniel, found out about the Triforce, and desired it for himself. But Daniel refused to hand over what he had discovered and instead destroyed all of the information he had on the subject. In his rage, Slade killed Daniel, and when Slade found out about Daniel's son Link, he sought to take the child, believing that he may be useful to his plans. Mary refused to let Slade have him, and before Slade could kill her, she fled the city, and crossed the mountains. Although gravely injured, she kept on until I found her, and led her to my spring so she could recover."

"However, the combination of her injuries and the energy spend to escape Slade had taken their toll, and she was on the brink of death. In her dying words, she begged me to watch over her son, and to keep him safe. I was able to sense that this child was destined for a great role, despite his curse. I agreed to watch over him, and his mother passed away soon after. I had the child be raised by a swordsman in the nearby village, as I could not raise the boy myself."

Link's parents had been killed… by Slade?! I had remembered that Robin had the troubles with Slade in the past, but after hearing this… Link's troubles against Slade were apparently far worse! If Link did not know any of this, I had to inform him! Perhaps if he knew, then I could save him.

"I had given Link the spirit's blessing as a way for him to fight the ancient curse afflicting him. Though unable to stop it completely, the power of the spirit's blessing is enough to keep it from taking complete control of him. However, the spirit's blessing is only as strong as the will of the one who carries it. Link's emotional state had been weakened, and this allowed the darkness to take hold of him" Lanayru told me.

"…All because of me. I'm the one who broke his heart. This is… all my fault." I said with a very sad tone.

"Do not blame yourself." The spirit said. "All beings are free to follow what they believe is right in their hearts. Link knows this, but the combination of his troubled past and the curse's power has blinded him to the truth."

"Then… How do I save him?" I asked.

"The power of the light spirits cannot save him. However, there is another power that can. A power that lives in you." Lanayru answered.

I did not understand what Lanayru meant. How could there be a power in me that could save Link?

"Link is the hero that was chosen by the spirits. However, he was not the only one. There was another." Lanayru told me. "_You_, princess."

I gasped when I heard that. Not only because Lanayru had told me that I was chosen by the spirits, but also for the fact that he knew that I was a princess, back on Tamaran at least. I tried to ask him how he knew that, but he vanished back into the spring before I could.

"Search your heart… and you will find the answer you seek…" was the last thing I heard him say before all went silent.

Before I headed back to the tower, I decided to visit Link's hometown, Lanayru Village, before attempting to figure out what Lanayru had meant before. The entrance to the village had a sign depicting a golden snake coiled around a blue sphere, most likely depicting Lanayru himself. I walked into the village, and saw that things were very different than they were back in the city. Instead of tall buildings there were small dwellings made of wood and other simple materials. The whole village was rather primitive; even the road was just dirt and not concrete. It may have been simple, but it was also rather pleasant. This village in some ways reminded me of when I used to live back on my home planet, Tamaran. I really wanted to see where Link used to live. I went up to a several people to ask where it was.

"Excuse me? Could you please direct me to the area that used to be inhabited by a boy named Link?" I asked them.

They all just stared at me with confused looks for a moment.

"What's with that get-up?" One of them asked me.

They must have taken note of my purple-colored outfit, which consisted of a tanked top and small skirt, along with arm plates and knee-high boots. I guess I did look a bit out of place compared to anyone else here.

"Umm… my apologies, I am… not from around here." I told them. "But could any of you please direct me to where Link lived. I heard he was the apprentice of this village's swordsman."

"The freak that was Nobleman's apprentice? He lived in a house on top of the hill east of here." Another one of them said. "Why? Do you know him?"

"I do." I told them. "And for your information, he is NOT a freak!"

I soon made my way to the house upon the hilltop. I saw that it was not in very good shape. It looked quite old and run down, and there was also a large hole in one of the walls. Perhaps that was where Slade had originally attacked. I explored inside for a few minutes, and I encountered what must've been Link's old room. There was not much in it; merely a bed, dresser, and a bookshelf that did not have very many books. Living here must've been hard for Link.

I went back out to the yard and noticed a tombstone near the wall. It read that it belonged to Roland Nobleman, Link's old mentor. He had died protecting Link from Slade; and because of Slade, Link had turned evil. I swore that I would not let Nobleman's sacrifice be for nothing; that I would not let Link's mother, Mary, have sacrificed herself for nothing. I was going to save Link, no matter what it took. But what I still did not know was… how?

"You wish to save your friend, yes? I believe I can help you." I heard a feminine voice say from behind me.

I gasped and then turned around. In front of me was a white-haired girl with purple eyes and wearing a simple, long white dress, who looked to be about the same age as me.

"My apologies for startling you. My name is Kalena. I am a… friend of Link's. He and I encountered each other several times while he was traveling." She told me.

"You know Link?" I asked her.

"Yes. And I know how you can save him from the darkness that now grips him." She answered.

I did not know how she knew any of this, but I felt like I could trust her. I asked her if she would tell me how I could save him.

"Lanayru told you that you have a power within you that can save him, did he not? Well, that power can be brought out using the instrument you hold." She told me.

Link's ocarina that the spirit told me to bring with me? How could that help? Sure, I had heard Link play it before and it sounded beautifully, but I did not see how a simple song could return Link to normal.

"The ocarina that you have there is no ordinary instrument. It possesses mystical qualities that, when played by the right person, is capable of bringing to life strange and otherworldly effects." She said. "If you play the correct melody and Link listens to it, it may be able to bring him back."

I still did not know how she knew any of this, but this information was my only hope.

"But which melody is the correct one?" I asked her.

"The melody that Link, your friend, needs to hear is one that he already holds close to him. A melody that will remind him of what is truly important." She answered.

I had only ever heard Link play one song on this ocarina. He would often play it when there was no one else in the room he was in, at least until I heard it and came in to listen. It was a beautiful melody that sounded like a lullaby. Whoever this 'Kalena' was, I hoped that she was right.

"Before you go back though, I have some advice that may help." She told me. "I would suggest that you look into your heart again, and come to the decision of whether or not you have truly made the right choices; and if not, whether or not you are willing to make new choices."

"Wait. What do you mean by that?" I turned around to ask her, but she had already vanished.

Whether or not I'm willing to make new choices? What was that supposed to mean? Perhaps I would find out later back at the tower, for right now I had to concentrate on preparing to confront Link again. Now that I knew what to do, I was almost ready to go into Slade's lair to save my friends… all of them.


	9. Chapter 9: A Difficult Decision

**Chapter Nine: A Difficult Decision**

(Starfire's narration)

I had flown back to the city and returned to Titans Tower, in order to prepare for my confrontation with the now evil-hearted Link. I now knew of the method that might save him: I had to play his ocarina so that he could listen… and I had to play the one song that he had always played. I had heard it before, and it did not take me very long to learn to play it myself. Still, I did not quite understand how an ocarina song could return Link to his normal self. But I trusted in the words of Lanayru, and the words of that girl, Kalena. Besides… I had to try something.

Another thing on my mind was what Kalena had said to me before she had left: Whether or not I have made the right choices; and if I had not, if I was willing to make new choices. After some thought, I think I realized what she had meant… and I knew that I had to make a very… difficult decision.

I noticed that almost 48 of the 72 hours that Link had given me had already passed. I was so focused on finding a way to save everyone that I guess I had lost track of the time. There was still time left though, so once I was all prepared, I exited the tower and flew off into the city. Following the coordinates that had been programmed into the communicator Link had given me, I located Slade's lair. It was an old factory of sorts on the outskirts of the city; old on the outside anyway. I smashed apart the front door and flew into the main entrance. But before I could enter the next area, some kind of barrier shot up between me and the door.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to go any further right now." I heard someone say from behind me.

I turned around and saw a tall, pale man dressed in a white unitard and red cloak. Was he the one who had blocked my path?

"Who are _you_?" I asked him aggressively.

"Oh, but of _course!_ Allow me to introduce myself." The man said while he flicked his hair. "You may call me Ghirahim. I am a… _associate_ of the one you call Slade."

This man worked for Slade?! I had no time for this, so I shot one of my starbolts at him in the hopes that would somehow dispel the barrier he placed. Unfortunately, it did not hit him; he just warped to the side and evaded it like it was nothing.

"Ah, impressive. That is, if your target was someone other than _me_." Ghirahim said rather smugly.

"Let me through _right now_!" I demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, little girl. Not _yet_." He told me. "The rage in Link's heart needs to linger for just a little longer. The dark power in his soul has not yet reached its full potential."

"What are you speaking of?!" I asked.

"You see, I have plans for your little friend, princess. Those plans being the reason I decided to work with Slade. We both share an interest in the boy." He answered.

Ghirahim couldn't possibly have known that I was a princess. He had likely used the term in the way villains of Earth describe most attractive girls, as both a compliment and an insult.

"I will _not_ allow this! Let me through _right now!_ Otherwise, I will tear this entire building apart if I have to!" I warned.

"You seem very eager to try and save someone that you don't really care about. Very well, go and attempt your little rescue. But I doubt that you could get through to the boy as he is _now._" He responded.

Ghirahim then snapped his fingers, and the barrier in front of me disappeared. I charged through into the room beyond it, and there before me was Link, and behind with him were all of our friends being restrained by force-fields that resembled the barrier from before.

"Starfire. I've been expecting you. For a moment, I thought that you wouldn't show up." Link said. "And then I would've had to kill everyone here."

"Link! Please listen! What you are doing right now… it is not you!" I told him.

"No… it isn't… it's _better_." He responded sinisterly.

"No Link. That isn't you talking. It is whatever foul curse has possessed you." I proclaimed.

"Possessed? Oh, I know _exactly_ what I'm doing Starfire. However, I _have_ thought things over somewhat." Link told me. "Originally I had planned to simply kill you. But then I thought, after what you did to me, death is too good for you. No, what I plan to do now is to make you feel pain; the same kind of pain that you made _me_ feel!"

The sound of that frightened me a little. I asked what he intended to do. Link gave a small evil laugh, then drew his sword and pointed it, to my horror, at Robin.

"My intention is this: I'm not going to kill _you_. I'm going to kill _Robin!_ _And make you watch!_" He said fiercely.

I gasped, and I wasn't the only one. The other captive titans pleaded with Link to stop, to reconsider. However, Link paid no attention and began to slowly approach Robin.

"I'm going to kill your little boyfriend… and you're going to watch _every moment of it!_" Link told me maniacally.

It was here that I had to make a very difficult decision. I had thought it over beforehand, and now… I _had_ to do it.

"Link!" I shouted. "Robin is _not_ my boyfriend!"

That response cause surprised looks to appear on both Link and Robin's faces. Link wheeled around to face me.

"_What?!_" Both Link and Robin asked.

"You heard me. Robin is _not_ my boyfriend… at least… not anymore." I told them. "I'm sorry Robin, but I care about Link too much to have him suffer because of us being together. It is over."

The whole building was silent after I had said that. After a moment though, Link responded, but his attitude seemed unchanged.

"Do you _honestly_ expect me to believe that?!" He asked me angrily. "After you kept the knowledge of your relationship with him secret from me, how can I believe _anything_ you say?!"

Link continued advancing towards Robin. I tried to convince Link that what I had said was true, but it was no use. He would not listen.

"You are wasting your time trying to reason with him." Someone said from across the room.

It was Slade, who approached Link once he was in front of Robin.

"Link has already proven to be a _fine_ apprentice. Once he finishes you and your friends, our _real_ plan can begin." He told me.

When Link heard that, he suddenly turned around to face Slade, and he had a sinister look upon his face again.

"Right… about _that_…" He began to say.

Then all of the sudden, faster than anyone could react, Link raised his hand and shot a stream of red lightning from his fingertips, which hit Slade and sent him into one of the walls. We were all shocked to see this.

"I'm through taking orders. From now on, _I work alone._" Link said to Slade, who had just recovered from the attack.

"You ungrateful…" Slade started. "Ghirahim! _Stop him!_"

At Slade's urging Ghirahim appeared in the room right behind Link. It seemed as if Ghirahim was about to ambush Link, but he did not fall for it. Link flung his fist upwards and hit Ghirahim straight in the face. Ghirahim fell to the ground, though still with a grin on his face.

"Well, now that that is taken care of, where were we?" Link asked himself. "Ah, yes! _Annihilating Robin!_"

Once again, Link advanced towards Robin with his sword drawn. Once in front of him, Link held his sword right in front of Robin's throat. Robin tried to break free, but the barrier restraining him was too strong.

"Any last words, Bird Boy?!" Link asked angrily.

Before any words were said, I quickly pulled out Link's ocarina and played a few notes on it. The sound of this immediately caught Link's attention. He turned around to face me once again, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Is that… _my ocarina?_" He asked me. "What do you intend to do with that? Sing me to sleep?!"

I held the small blue instrument close to my heart for a moment before responding to his question.

"No… you are already trapped within a nightmare…" I told him. "I intend to use this… to wake you… and get my friends back. _All of them_."

After saying that, I put the ocarina to my mouth and began to play Link's song on it; the song that I had always heard whenever he played it. While playing it, it was strange, but I was able to feel an unusual power coming from it… no… from me! Perhaps this is what Lanayru had meant when he said I had a power within me that could help. I did not understand completely, but as the beautiful melody filled the room, I could tell that it was having an effect on Link; A _good_ effect.

"That's… _my_ song…" Link said.

As I kept playing it, I could see Link's eyes change slowly from red back to the blue color that I knew and loved; and that horrible dark aura surrounding him vanished. When I saw a single tear fall from his eye, I knew that I had gotten through to him. Link had been saved.

All of the sudden, Link seemed to have fallen unconscious. Before he fell to the floor, I quickly flew over to catch him. Slowly he woke up, and looked at me. There were no longer any black markings on his face, only the innocent look that I knew all too well.

"Starfire… what happened?" He asked me.

Did he have no memory of when he was evil? It did not matter to me, I simply told him, as I looked into his bright blue eyes, that he just had a bad dream, and that it was over now. As I said that, tears started falling from my eyes, and I just couldn't help but embrace him gently.  
Link's eyes were also full of tears; I could feel them as I hugged him.

The barriers that had kept everyone contained suddenly vanished, and after I was finished with the hug, they all gathered around to welcome Link back. Though Robin was a bit reluctant to, he was also grateful that Link was back to normal. However, our reunion was cut short, as Slade had gotten back up after having been attacked by the previously evil Link.

"This is all very touching really. But I'm afraid that I'm not finished with Link yet." He said.

We all stood ready to help defend Link, whom I could tell was in no condition to fight right  
now.

"Link… there is something that you need to know, about your parents." I told him.

Link let me know that Slade had already told him about his parents and how Slade had known them. Apparently however, Slade had left out a few parts.

"Link it was not some random accident that had killed your father. It was _him!_ _Slade murdered your parents!_" I told him.

Link was shocked by what I had just said, and I could not blame him. The fact that he was working with the very man who destroyed his family would be a shock to anyone. Slade did not seem worried that anyone knew this however, and he merely mentioned that Link's father, Daniel, had been a fool to keep him from gaining ultimate power. Slade was prepared to fight, as were we, and he then pulled out a sword of his own, one with a faded green hilt and red-stained blade.

"This sword here used to belong to Link's father. Well, that is… _before I used it to kill him_."  
Slade said sinisterly.

I was about to attack first, but Link beat me to it and caught Slade off guard, knocking him to the ground. Apparently Link had enough strength left for that attack, and had pinned Slade to the ground. Link now had his sword pointed right at Slade's chest. Link's face was full of rage. Was he really going to kill Slade?!

"You _monster!_ _You're_ the reason I have no family!" Link told Slade angrily.

Slade responded with a small evil laugh. Somehow I had the suspicion that Slade had let Link knock him down.

"You're going to kill me?" Slade asked him. "Fool. We both know that you don't have the _guts_ to do it."

The thing is… Slade was right. We could all notice that Link was hesitating with his attack. I knew that Link did not want to kill anyone; as himself he just was not that kind of person. After a moment, Link drew back and put his sword away.

"No. You deserve it, but if I killed you… then I would be no better than _you_." Link told him.

"How noble of you. Unfortunately for you, I don't suffer from such _weaknesses_." Slade said after he had gotten up.

He was about to slash Link in the side with his sword, but before he could, I shot shim with one of my starbolts, which sent him back into the wall.

"_You_ are the fool, Slade! Valuing life is _not_ being weak!" I shouted at him.

Slade got up and brushed himself off. I noticed that part of his mask had cracked off. He covered his face with his hand, but even so, I was still able to see a glaring yellow eye through it. He claimed that he would deal with us another day, then quickly threw down a smokescreen and disappeared.

Link tried searching around to find him, but I told him to calm down. Robin said that we would catch him the next time, and that for now we should all just head back to the tower. Link had been through so much, he deserved to have a rest from all of it. He was back to normal now, but I knew that he had not forgotten how his heart was broken. I just hoped that he would forgive me and that we would still be friends.


	10. Chapter 10: Friends Forever

**Chapter Ten: Friends Forever**

(Link's narration) It was so kind of Starfire to narrate the story for me while I was… _not myself_. Now that I'm back I can resume narration of my story.

We had returned to Titans Tower so everyone could recover from our previous encounter with Slade, during which I had been possessed by an evil force. Starfire had done so much to return me to my senses; she never gave up on me, even when the others were considering it. I owe her my life.

Before anything happened, I apologized to everyone for everything I had done when I was… not myself. I also suggested that I should leave the team, so this could never happen again. However, everyone urged me to stay, and Starfire claimed that she did not want me to leave again. I was grateful that everyone still seemed to see me as a friend. Still, I felt terrible about everything I had done to them.

While everyone else was celebrating our victory, I just sat on the couch in the ops room with my head down. Everyone had forgiven me, but would I be able to forgive _myself_? After a few minutes, Starfire made her way over to where I was.

"Link?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

I had heard what she said, but did not answer. I was still thinking about everything that had happened; everything I could remember anyway.

"I'm sorry." She said as she sat down next to me.

"What? Why are _you_apologizing?" I asked her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I _did _do something wrong. I hurt the feelings of a very dear friend. For that… I am sorry." she answered.

By dear friend, I knew that she meant me. I was foolish to think that someone as nice as she was could _ever_not like me.

"Starfire, you were just following your own heart. There's no reason you would have to apologize for that." I told her. "I was the one who acted poorly. I just couldn't accept the fact that… things have changed."

"That may be true, but still… you are too good of a person to have been hurt like that." She said.

"Well… it wasn't so much knowing that you and Robin were together that hurt me… it was the fact that you never _told_me. I had always thought that we could tell each other anything." I told her.

Starfire explained to me that she had kept it from me because she was unsure of how I would react. Because she knew that I liked her, in a way more than just the ordinary way. I guess that meant that she _did_ care about me as more than just a friend… at least a _little_.

"Well… even if I feel a… little upset that you're together with Robin, just know that… I'm happy for you." I told her.

"Umm… Link… I broke up with Robin. Do you not remember?" She said.

"_What?!_" I asked. "Oh… it was when I was… not myself… wasn't it?"

Starfire nodded. She explained that she had done so as an attempt to return me to normal when I had been turned evil. But that wasn't what brought me back; she went on to explain that it was a song from my ocarina that had healed me.

"That ocarina belonged to my mother." I told her. "As for the song, well… I've just always known it somehow."

"That may explain why it worked to heal you." she responded. "Oh that reminds me! I managed to find your spirit gem after you, umm… _dropped it_."

She pointed to the necklace she was wearing which had the spirit gem on it. She told me that she had made it into a necklace when I had turned evil, figuring that that would make it easier to keep a hold of it. She then took the necklace off of her neck and placed it around my neck.

"It also protected me when you were possessed by that evil force, so I am sure that as long as you have it, these events will not happen a second time." She told me. "Umm… it looks… cute on you."

I held the spirit gem in my hand, and it once again made me feel happy. Still, the fact that Starfire was being so nice to me, even after I had turned evil, tried to kill everyone, and caused her to break up with Robin, just made me feel bad. I probably ruined her life, and yet she still cared about me. Tears fell from my eyes as I thought of this, and Starfire could see this. She took my hand in hers and leaned towards me, while placing her other hand on my cheek.

"Please do not be sad Link. What happened is in the past. What matters now is that you are all right." She told me. "And… do you remember when you told Slade that he is the reason that you have no family. Well, that is not _entirely_ true. Because you are a part of _our_ family. It is as I had told you before… I will _always_be there for you"

Tears were still falling from my eyes, but now they were tears of joy. She then pulled me up off of the couch and convinced me to come join the others in their celebration. When we got to the kitchen, Beast Boy and Cyborg were in the middle of an argument concerning what kind of food to have, Robin was trying to get them to stop, and Raven was just sitting there watching with an un-amused look on her face, which changed when she saw me and Starfire.

"Good to have you back Link." She said.

Starfire and I both just kept smiling, and Raven suggested that maybe one of us could figure out what we should have to eat, because apparently Beast Boy and Cyborg weren't going to decide anything soon. Starfire and I giggled at her comment, with her suggesting that she could cook something. Everyone else suggested against it, but I thought it would be nice. To be honest, I actually _liked_Starfire's cooking, even though everyone else didn't, which was kind of weird. Robin eventually convinced us that we should just order a pizza.

After the celebration, everyone had a surprise for me. They all led me to a particular door in the hallway. I asked which room it was and was surprised by the answer. Starfire told me that it was _my_room. The inside of the room was great! There was a medium sized bed in the corner, a bookshelf in the other corner, and an elongated dresser on one of the sides in which I could store my weapons. The walls of the room were painted sky blue, the same color as my eyes.

"This is _my_ room?" I asked. "You guys did all this for _me?_"

"Well, it was mostly Starfire." Beast Boy said while pointing to Starfire.

Starfire had a big smile on her face, and told me that she and the others were going to surprise me earlier, but were unable to because of the…_ incident_.

"Also, you're going to need _this_back." Robin said.

He then stepped up and handed me back my communicator, the one that I had apparently thrown away when I had turned evil.

"This is all so great!" I said. "Thank you… _all of you_."

Everyone said that they were glad that I was myself again. Cyborg then patted me on the back, which almost knocked me down, and then suggested that I get some rest. I agreed with him, and everyone left the room, but not before Starfire gave me a hug, which I always liked. The room was not too big, but I still liked it. In fact, it was about the same size as the room I used to have back in Lanayru Village. I laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, which I had noticed had little stars painted it. Starfire must've painted them there knowing that I liked to gaze at the stars at night. I giggled lightly at the concept. She knew me so well!

I had also noticed that the picture of my parents that was in that old house from before was sitting on top of the dresser. Starfire must have brought it here. That was nice of her. As I looked at the picture of my mother and father, Daniel and Mary Skyward, I couldn't help but wonder if they were still watching over me from beyond. I also wondered if there was now a chance of me and Starfire being… together. She had broken up with Robin, but still… I somehow doubted that she could ever be my girlfriend.

But who knows what the future holds. I may be surprised. For now though, I just rested; until the next time the Titans were called into action.


End file.
